Research Updates

Participant Update

June 10, 2007

Dear Participants in the UCLA/NIH Avian Flu Project,

I would like to provide you with an update regarding UCLA’s progress towards the genetic screening of North American migratory birds for the presence of avian influenza (AIV). First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the Institute for Bird Populations operators (MAPS, MAWS, and MoSI), the U.S. Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory's LaMMNA organizations, and independent bird banders for hours of hard work collecting cloacal swab samples. To date, we have received samples from approximately 12,000 birds, and many thousands are still on the way. These samples came from 282 species that were captured in 38 U.S. states.

We have screened 452 cloacal swabs from birds representing 81 bird species sampled from nine states. Seventeen of these samples (approximately 4%) tested positive for the presence of the AIV Matrix gene (AIV-M) (see table below for details on the positive samples, and the attached sheet for more details about all 452 samples). The subtypes of these positive samples have not been determined. However, these samples were tested for the H5 subtype, and all samples tested negative.

UCLA is at the cutting edge of genetic testing for AIV, and we are still working out the kinks in the screening process. We apologize for the time lag in getting out results, and we appreciate your patience and continued efforts in the field.

The Center for Tropical Research, located on the third floor of La Kretz Hall, is part of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. For general inquiries, contact Christa Gomez, CTR Office Manager, at (310) 206-6234, or by email at cgomez@lifesci.ucla.edu. Visitors are always welcome.